New Year's Eve
by SaultNPeppah
Summary: Diana and Bruce have been friends since childhood, but when the two spend New Year's Eve together, unresolved feelings start to resurface. Will the two finally admit what they've known all along? Prequel to "O' Christmas Tree".


**I really enjoy writing AUs, and after I wrote "O, Christmas Tree" for last year's holiday event, I knew I wanted to revisit these versions of our favorite duo. Here are some of the events that led up to the aforementioned one shot. I hope you all enjoy.**

* * *

**December 31. Downtown Gotham. 22:10**

The holidays were always an interesting time in Gotham. The snow covered streets brought forth a glorious playground, slick enough for sleds to glide through at speeds that some would consider dangerous, and while the children enjoyed the fun the snow brought, others hated the cold the holidays brought to the city. One of these people was Diana Prince. Sure, she had been raised in Gotham, but being born on an island that rivalved perfection, still left its mark on her heart; nothing would compare to the warmth the sun brought as it shone high in the sky. She hated the cold, couldn't stand it, and by default, she couldn't stand the holiday season. Her disdain for the holiday season only grew more apparent when she had ended things with her long term friend, and boyfriend, Clark Kent on New Years' Day the previous year. When her mother had gone back to Greece, Clark and Bruce had been the only family she had around. Bruce had grown increasingly busy with his growing company and Diana never seemed to mind. In fact, she was happy for her friend, and Clark was always fun company. But when the two had broken up and Bruce's availability became even more scarce, she began to feel lonely, and that was the last thing she wanted during this time of year.

"Diana? Did you hear me?"

Diana quickly turned her attention toward the gentleman in front of her, carefully nodding her head as she cleared her throat. Truth was, she hadn't heard what the man in front of her had said, not a word. In fact, when Arnold Tressler had marched up to her at her company's New Years Eve party, acting as if she had never ghosted him four months ago, she had quickly focused her attention elsewhere.

"I'm sorry," Diana said. She gently nudged her dark hair back over her shoulder, letting it flow down her back, before she took a small sip of the drink in her hand, trying to give herself a moment to think of a way out of this awkward situation. "I'm waiting for someone," she said bluntly, hoping he would take the hint.

Arnold only glanced over his shoulder toward the door, a smug smile on his face when he saw it empty. "You sly little minx," he said, taking a step forward. He placed his half empty beer bottle on the bar behind her, flashing her another smirk, before he leaned in and whispered, "Playing hard to get, I see."

Diana watched as he wiggled his eyebrows and she outwardly cringed, wondering what she had seen in him to allow him to take her out on a date. Unfortunately for him, the night had ended right after dinner with Diana not ready to pursue another relationship so soon after Clark. "No, no," Diana said, sliding out from under him. "I really am waiting for someone."

She took a step back from the man, watching as he ran a hand through his greasy blonde hair. He used a finger to smooth down his mustache and shook his head, unconvinced by what Diana was saying. Truth was, she _had_ invited someone, and she had tried her hardest to convince him to come, doing everything but getting down on her knees and begging. She didn't want to be alone tonight and Bruce was her best friend - her best friend who hadn't bothered to see her in over a month. He at least owed her this.

Arnold grabbed his beer once more and took another swig of the beverage, shaking his head still unconvinced. He let his eyes wander down Diana's body, the smug smirk on his face growing wider as he thought about a second date with the Greek woman. His thoughts, however, were interrupted when a tall man stepped between he and Diana. "This guy bothering you, Diana?" he asked, his piercing blue eyes staring down at Arnold.

"I'm fine, Bruce," Diana said, taking another small sip of her drink. "But nice of you to show up."

Arnold watched as Bruce Wayne, playboy billionaire, turned to Diana and flashed her a wide smile, before he reached over him and grabbed a glass of champagne. "Good," was all Bruce said as he ran a hand through his hair and turned. He quickly placed his hand on Diana's back and led her towards the other end of the room, away from Arnold and his growing anger.

"You're welcome, by the way," Bruce said with a smirk as he and Diana sat themselves in two oversized chairs by the balcony.

Diana only rolled her eyes, took a seat, and playfully kicked his shin. "You're late," she reminded him. "I thought you weren't coming."

Bruce only shrugged and leaned back in the chair. "Di, I haven't seen you for over a month. I've been a terrible friend. I wasn't going to miss seeing you tonight." He took a sip from his glass, letting his eyes flicker to the woman seated across from him. "Plus, I'd never hear the end of it if I let you be the only single one here."

Once again Diana kicked his shin, earning a laugh from the man. "That's not true," she said, although her tone spoke volumes more than her words ever could. "But seriously, thank you for coming. I know work parties aren't exactly your cup of tea."

Bruce only shook his head, silencing her. He sat up and leaned across the empty space they shared, letting his hand rest on her knee. He watched as her eyes flickered up to meet his and his heart skipped a beat. Even in a pair of blue jeans and a sweater she was still the most beautiful person in this room. He willed his eyes to look away from hers, willed himself to stop the awkward silence that had fallen between the two, but when he saw Diana's smile widen, he knew there were no words needed.

Diana was his oldest friend, his best friend. She knew more about him than he probably even knew about himself. She was the one who had helped him in high school with his unresolved feelings towards his parents' deaths and he knew if it weren't for her and her insistuous persuading, he would not be the CEO of a multi-billion dollar company. He owed everything to Diana - a little New Year's Eve work party didn't seem like a fair trade.

"There's nowhere else I'd rather be," he confessed, watching as her smile grew wider, before she finished off her drink, the first of many.

* * *

Bruce continued to laugh, letting his hand fall to his side that ached from the nonstop laughter reminiscing with Diana had brought. The two hadn't seen each other for over a month, yet whenever they were together, they would talk about their time in grade school when Diana and her mother had moved from Greece. They would talk about their time in high school where they had begun to discover themselves as individuals. They would talk about college, and how they had decided what they wanted in life, and yet through all the changes they had gone through, one thing remained: They could each make the other laugh with wild abandon.

"I forget how much trouble you get in without me," Bruce said, unable to help the chuckle that escaped his lips.

Likewise, Diana chuckled and shook her head. "It wasn't my fault," she said, unable to help it as another fit of giggles slipped through her lips.

Bruce watched as Diana pulled her hair up into a ponytail, the heat from the alcohol consumed finally getting to her, before she began to fan herself. He wasn't sure if it was all the laughing that had caused her cheeks to become flushed, or the amount of alcohol she had consumed; either way he was glad he had come. He watched as she finished off her glass of water, placing it to the side, before she stood from her seat. Without a word he stood next to her and offered her a hand. She took it and he led her silently toward the middle of the dance floor where other couples had been gathered for the past hour.

"So tell me one thing," Bruce began, as he placed his hands on her back. He waited for her to loop her arms around his neck before they began to sway with the music, moving slowly. Diana only raised an eyebrow, waiting for Bruce to finish his sentence. "What kind of a monster dumps a guy on New Year's Eve?"

Bruce watched as Diana furrowed her eyebrows, pulling back from him in shock. "It was the day after," she said matter of factly. She watched as Bruce began to laugh again and she shook her head, knowing this was going to come up one way or another. The three of them had been friends since college, having dinner together every now and then. Bruce knew of her and Clark's relationship, and Bruce was the first person Diana had told when she had ended it. It was only a matter of time before he brought it up. "He actually took it a lot better than I thought," she confessed.

Diana watched as Bruce gave her a slight nod as he continued to sway to the music. "How is he, though?"

"Clark?"

Diana nodded. True, they were exes, but she still cared for the man. She wasn't as heartless as some people thought.

Bruce shrugged. "He's alright. Busying himself with work." He knew Diana hadn't seen him since she last went to get the rest of her stuff at his place. He couldn't help but feel a twinge of jealousy now that she was asking about him. "Although that's what happens when your girlfriend of seven years dumps you." Once again Bruce flashed Diana a smirk, sticking his tongue out to tease the woman in his arms.

Diana shook her head, adamant that that was not the case. "We dated for four months in college," she said, pushing a finger into his chest. She was going to end all the speculation tonight. "I graduated and went back to Greece for work and my family-"

"Don't remind me," Bruce interrupted. "It was the longest four years of my life," he whispered, feigning sadness.

Diana only shook her head and pointed at his face, silently telling him to cut it out. "We spoke nearly every day," she said sternly. "Clark and I, however, kind of lost touch."

"See, I knew you could never forget me," Bruce said, a proud smile on his face. "You'd miss me too much."

Diana chuckled. "No, Wayne," she began, letting her hand rejoin her other behind Bruce's neck. "You know too many secrets about me. We're stuck with each other."

"Oh goodie," Bruce said nonchalantly. He tried to remain casual. He tried to maintain the facade that their constant flirtations and playful banter was doing nothing to his already erratically beating heart. Diana was the one girl who had been a friend first and foremost, the one constant in his life beside Alfred. He knew getting involved with her would only leave her hurt, and that was something he couldn't fathom, so he stayed away, wanting to protect her at any cost. What he hadn't expected was to fall in love with her, and in turn be the one to get hurt when she fell in love with someone else. He was more than a little thrilled to find out that she and Clark were no longer dating, but he was not going to tell either of them that. They were, after all, both still his friends.

Besides, he knew it was his fault Diana had ended up with Clark to begin with, so he couldn't be angry at anyone beside himself. He was the one who had introduced Clark to her during their junior year of college. He was the one who had told Clark there was nothing going on with him and Diana, and he was the one who encouraged Diana to date who she saw fit; what he hadn't expected was his two best friends getting together. But he endured it, knowing Clark could make her happier than he ever could. That didn't stop him from internally celebrating when she decided to end things with Clark a few months later. His celebration, however, was cut short by her announcement that she was leaving Gotham for a while. He hadn't expected a while to last four years.

When Diana had come back to Gotham, he had been the first to know. He wanted to be the first one that greeted her, welcome her back to the city they had explored as kids, but business was booming and it left little time for socializing outside of work. Diana had said she understood, knowing how important the business was to Bruce, but if he had known what that would cost, he would have given it all up for her.

It was due to his unavailability Diana had ended up meeting up with Clark, wanting to catch up with a friend over drinks. It was his fault that the two of them had kissed at that bar. It was his fault Clark had gotten a second chance with Diana when he hadn't even gotten a proper first one.

"Bruce, you okay?"

Bruce shook his head clear of his thoughts, letting his attention return to the woman still in his arms. He watched as she raised an eyebrow, concern for her friend etched on her face. She knew he got in his head sometimes, letting the negative thoughts of his past eat away at everything until that was all he could focus on.

"Yeah," he said, reassuring her with a nod. "I'm fine."

Diana said nothing as she nodded, letting her arms unloop around Bruce's neck, before she laid them on his chest. "Good," she whispered. She reached up and let one of her hands run through his hair, letting her nails carefully graze his scalp, before she began to fiddle with the back of his collar.

Bruce continued to gently sway with the music, trying not to give any indication that what Diana was going was spiking his heart rate. He carefully leaned toward Diana, bending down to whisper in her ear, "I'm glad your back." His lips turned into a smirk when he saw her shoulders freeze, shocked by the feeling of his lips so close to her skin. He pulled back slowly, letting his lips gently brush against the skin of her neck. His smirk grew when he heard her gasp.

Diana took a deep breath and shook her head slightly, trying to calm her now racing heart. She and Bruce had always flirted, always pushed the boundaries between friendship and something more, but this…..this was pushing things further than normal. He was sending a message. He was letting her know something she knew all along, and it was about damn time. Without another thought she carefully dragged her hand up his chest, up his neck, and into his hair, before she grabbed a fist full and gave it a gentle tug. She watched as his eyes widened before they glanced over her shoulder, trying to avoid her gaze. She only smirked at his attempt to ignore her.

"You don't know what that does to me," he whispered flirtatiously. His grip on her waist grew tighter and his breath hitched in his throat when Diana stepped closer to him, pushing her chest into his.

"I am very aware of what that does to you," she replied, raising an eyebrow, challenging him. There were secrets the two of them had shared, secrets he wasn't sure he wanted to come to light just yet.

Bruce took a step back, raising a hand to cover his mouth as he cleared his throat, trying to refocus his thoughts. For years flirting with Diana had been second nature, however now he was unsure of where the boundaries between them laid.

"Champagne?"

The two turned to see one of Diana's coworkers walk up to the duo, a glass of champagne in both of her hands. She quickly offered them the glasses of alcohol, turning to the rest of the people in the room, a smile on her face as she announced, "Ten! Nine! Eight!"

Bruce let his hand fall from Diana's waist as she released her grip around his neck. They stood silent, watching as the rest of her coworkers and their families continued to count down until the next year. Her mind began to whirl with questions, wondering if what she was going to do was a good idea. Bruce was her best friend and if she screwed this up then she wouldn't be able to forgive herself. But she knew Bruce, and she knew how he felt, no matter how hard he had tried to hide it. He had tried to hide his jealousy, but she was always able to see it. Every time Clark wrapped his arm around her shoulder, every time Clark kissed her goodbye, everytime Clark called her, she saw the sadness in his eyes. She knew he was kicking himself for waiting too long and not following her out that summer night, but she couldn't blame him. They had been kids, still unsure of what they had wanted and needed, but now - now it was different. She knew what she wanted. She wanted Bruce.

"Two! One! Happy New Year!"

The crowd of people began to cheer, each bringing in the New Year with their own celebratory commentary. Some people threw their arms up, others drank from their glasses. Some tossed confetti and others kissed their loved ones. Each person celebrated the start of the new year in a way that was special to them, knowing the hope and promise that was sure to follow them this year would be magical in their own way.

Diana turned to face Bruce, a smile on her face. She gently clinked their glasses together and said, "Happy New Year," before she took a sip from the glass, placing it on the table behind her. She watched as Bruce took a sip of his own and placed it down on the table next to him, before she grabbed his tie, startling him, and pulled him in for a kiss.

Bruce barely had time to register that Diana's lips were on his before he was staring into her blue eyes. He watched as she raised an eyebrow, questioning if what she had done was the right thing. He wanted to blame the alcohol, wanted to assume that she just had too much to drink and was lonely, but he knew the truth. She had wanted this for nearly as long as he had. The only question was if he was willing to take that chance with her.

"Happy New Year," he whispered back after what had seemed like an eternity, as he reached up to cup her cheeks. He watched as she smiled before he leaned in to kiss her, letting his lips meet hers in a searing kiss. Time stood still and in that moment Bruce knew things would be alright. He didn't know what the new year would bring, nor did he know if he was sure he could be the man Diana truly deserved. All he knew was he couldn't wait to see what was in store, and he knew for damn sure he would do it with Diana by his side.

* * *

**I truly hope you all enjoyed this, and I am so grateful you all stuck with me during this year. 2019 was a year of trials, sickness, and hardships and I don't know how well I would've gotten through it all without writing (no matter how scarce it was) and the wonderful readers you all are. Granted, I could have written more….a lot more, but I am hoping 2020 will be a year of wonderful opportunities. Here's to next year, and a Happy New Year to you all! :)**


End file.
